A SCHOOLGIRL was knocked off her bike outside a school where teachers have been campaigning for months to get a new lollipop person.

Eleven-year-old Caitlin Stuart was lucky to escape with just minor injuries when her cycle was involved in a collision with a car outside Gosforth Junior High School in Newcastle yesterday morning.

But the school’s headteacher, Dave Sheppard, who has been asking the council for a new lollipop man outside the school for months, is furious.

He says his calls to get the crossing made safer have fallen on deaf ears at Newcastle City Council.

Today he told the Chronicle that he hopes what happened to Caitlin will finally push the council into taking action.

He said: “We keep saying when something bad happens then maybe something will get done.

“It is a dangerous road and on an evening after school the children flood on to it. It’s supposed to be a 20mph road but not everyone does 20mph.

“When you think what could have happened to Caitlin, we have been extremely lucky.”

The school has been without a crossing attendant for more than six months since its last lollipop man was forced to leave due to ill health.

Mr Sheppard has become so concerned about the children’s safety he now puts on his reflective jacket at home time and guides the pupils across the road himself.

Newcastle City Council says it is trying its best to find a replacement but is having difficulties filling the vacancy.

Caitlin was crossing the road on her bike when the accident, involving a Nissan Primera, happened at about 8.30am.

She was taken to Newcastle General Hospital, where she was treated for scratches and bruising,

A spokesman for Newcastle City Council said: “In common with other cities, Newcastle has a shortage of school crossing patrol people.

“We have been trying for months to fill this vacancy because the existing patrol person at Gosforth Junior High School is on long-term sick leave.

“We’ve advertised the post on our city council website, trained the headteacher to carry out patrol duties and put leaflets through letterboxes in the area but with little success so far.

“We have been talking to the school about the vacancy for some months. In the light of this incident, we again have contacted the school to ask what additional support we can provide. The council has already offered to train up volunteers to act as school crossing patrol people and also to run pedestrian safety courses for the pupils.

“While far from ideal, we believe this additional support will help alleviate the problem until we can find a permanent replacement.”

A motorist was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving. A police spokesman said: “A 35-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving. She has now been released on police bail pending further inquiries.”